'Super Drunk' Minn. Man Left His Girlfriend to Die After Crash, Police Allege

Police allege that, according to witnesses, a 21-year-old Minnesota man with a record of speeding and reckless driving charges was “super drunk” on Sunday morning when he crashed his car and then fled the scene — leaving his girlfriend behind to die.

Michael Campbell of Minneapolis has been charged with two counts of criminal vehicular manslaughter following the death of 20-year-old Ria Patel.

Campbell, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, allegedly left Patel inside his Ford Focus where she was crushed beneath the vehicle’s buckled roof following the approximately 3 a.m. collision when he hit a utility pole.

A witness who saw the entire crash alleged to police that Campbell ran from the totaled automobile in the direction of a nearby McDonald’s — but he stopped himself and circled back to the car, where the witness watched him dig around in the vehicle.

Campbell spotted the witness and asked her to call 911, according to the charging documents. When she told him the police were already en route, he allegedly ran off into the dark.

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Moments afterward, a second witness allegedly saw Campbell, holding a cell phone, run through a parking lot and jump some highway fencing.

Investigators say he left his wallet behind and police caught up with him two days later, in an adjacent county, the charging documents state.

He is being held on $250,000 bail and has yet to enter a plea.

Court officials tell PEOPLE their records indicate he is still without legal counsel who could comment on his behalf. He will appear in court Thursday afternoon for his arraignment.

If convicted, he could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.

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Paramedics tried to revive Patel at the scene of the crash, but she was unresponsive.

Campbell allegedly told authorities he ran away because he had been “traumatized by seeing the state” of his girlfriend’s body.

Detectives interviewed the couple’s friends, who said they had been partying with Campbell and Patel hours earlier. One friend described him as “super drunk” earlier in the morning.

According to police, Campbell was already on probation from a January conviction in a misdemeanor hit-and-run.

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